Till the End of Time
by Orange Memories
Summary: Sesshoumaru has never felt pain,and today,as she goes away, he realizes his love for her. Will he be too late to stop her? SessRin


Disclaimer: All Inuyasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

He doesn't know when his soul started aching so much. A weakness, that doesn't befit him. But he must confront her today.

He wanders through the halls of the fortress, gliding along the corridors like a wisp of moonlight caught in the sunshine. Strange, he is the Lord of the castle and should walk tall and proud, unlike a stealthy thief.

He has never known pain. Physical, yes, but not that of the heart.

He vaguely wonders if he will be among the ranks of the lucky ones for long.

Emotions are laughable.

* * *

Sesshoumaru knows her scent, for it is ingrained in the very depths of his senses. He can taste her in the wind of the palace. She flies like an angel through the wood walls, bringing life and sanity with her.

But today, he feels a weight in his heart, a sadness that not even the strongest _sake_ can drown. He can feel the hot liquid in his throat, but it tastes like bitter death itself. He needs her scent on his lips today, to bring him back to sweet life.

_Will you ever leave her?_

He doesn't know. It is too much pain for him to bear, to have her close, yet so far. Sesshoumaru had given her life, a paltry sum for the great kindness she had bestowed upon him. Her life belongs to him, doesn't it?

She is his, and he cannot let go.

Love is the price he will pay.

* * *

She doesn't know where to go. She stands in her room, looking out of the window to the world beyond.

_Why are you so far away?_

She still remembers that day perfectly; in every detail; unlike mortals forget the day they are born. She was always close to him, closer than a daughter, closer than a soul mate. She was his life itself.

She ran into his arms, being chased by her young youkai friends, who were much faster than her. But he didn't gather her into them. He just left her standing alone.

He didn't notice the tears brimming in her eyes.

* * *

Rin was resolute today. She was going to leave the palace forever. She didn't care about him; she didn't care whether he cared for her. He had debased her, and hurt her.

More than that, he almost destroyed his faith in her.

Another day, crystal clear in the memory. Rin knew that she was envied, by all and sundry in the palace. Envy is a good thing something, but turns ugly when jealousy rears its ugly green head.

They had been laughing at her, calling her a pathetic human. She didn't bother about that. He had taught her to rein her feelings in. But when they talked of _him_ in a derisive tone, she could not be a silent watcher any longer.

She remembers the black words from her mouth; she feels the anger biting into her heart.

What fades is the sting, the feel of his hand across her cheek. She had become numb.

She saw something dark in those eyes. She saw rage in amber.

He had asked her to go away.

She was just doing that.

* * *

He wonders if she is there, or if she has left him alone again. He has never known why he resurrected her. Mistaken pity? Or to forget his loneliness? He has to stop her.

Or he will not live again.

When he comes close to her, he hears her sobbing. He begins to feel the empty ache again. It is the foolishness of having a heart.

" Rin.", he softly calls her through the thin sliding door. She doesn't answer.

_What if something has happened to her?_

He slides the door open in alarm, and finds her there. Her tears have dried, and she wipes the last pearldrop from her face. She looks lost, forlorn, lonely, and heartbroken.

She looks up at him, and this time the tears flow freely again.

This time, they do not hear the lonely silence, but the voice of a teardrop as it sings it's way across the cheek, onto the floor.

* * *

" You wish to leave." It is a statement, not a question. He looks at her long and hard enough. _Please tell me you won't._

" Yes, I wish to leave." It has been long since he has seen that look on her face, the very same look that adorns the face of a child, when they are determined to achieve the impossible. " I do not know where I shall go. Maybe to the king's castle, maybe to a village. I do not wish to trespass on your hospitality any longer." She knows her voice is quavering; yet she tries to hold on strong to the roots of her belief.

" As you wish." The pain is unbearable for Sesshoumaru; for it is the first time he has felt it. But he feels her happiness lies outside the walls of his castle, and his heart. She is like the first cherry blossom of the spring, how can she survive among the coldest snow?

But the look on her face changes from strength to shock. _He's allowing me to leave?_ _He's asking me to go away._ She can hardly stand, and it is not the weight of the beautiful silks.

She falls to the floor as she asks, "Won't you ask me to stay?"

* * *

He is startled by her words. She wanted to leave; yet she wants him to stop her. He doesn't understand.

The tangy smell of tears again invades his nose. This time, they are not silent. She is crying, haplessly, the dark scent of her unhappiness clouding his mind. He cannot breathe her beauty anymore, just the pain.

_Please, don't cry. I want to see you smile_.

He cannot stand to watch her like this; it is tearing his heart apart. The ice from his heart flows down like snowmelts as he places himself on the floor and takes here in his arms. Her soft head across his chest, wisps and tangles of her hair awash with sweat, her eyes flooded with tears.

In this desperate moment, Sesshoumaru finds an unknown peace.

Her scent soothes him.

* * *

She is in a daze. Reality, and unreality converge and diverge and she doesn't know which to believe. Her heart denies he ever said those words, and her intellect says otherwise.

_Shameless girl! He asked you to leave. And you are crying, submitting to him?_

Rin finds herself wrapped in a tight embrace, his arm folded around her, and splayed across her back. His strong, silk-adorned chest beating in time, and heaving with her own bosom. His long, moonlit hair caressing her cheeks with the barest hints of touch, and his face near her ear, his lips breathing into her hair.

She wants to lose herself in his touch, hold him and never let him go. She wants to cry, and wants to touch him, and tell him…

_How much do you love him?_

Rin wants to answer, for she has been searching for this answer since she was born again. But for now, she decides to enjoy what he offers to her.

But then he shifts his face close to hers, and watches it with a strong intensity. He moves closer to her.

" I'm sorry, Rin."

She is taken aback by his words_. Is he really apologizing?_

She feels the warmth of his sincerity touching her heart. She will forgive him, forget the pain, and give herself to him. She will stay here forever, and never let go. He is her saviour, and a part of her soul. Her deepest darkest desire.

She roots, and searches within herself for the courage, to whisper the forbidden words to him. Her tears begin to slow, and the blood in her heart begins to flow faster.

As she opens her mouth, he silences her with a soft, passionate look. Then he silences her with a kiss. Her heart stops beating for a single moment, then rushes back to its former energetic fury.

He continues kissing her. And the sun shines with the moon.

* * *

After an eternity of searing passion, after long moments of pleasure, they part and they begin to breathe. They are one now, and they can feel it.

Sesshoumaru breathes a sigh of relief as the clouds in Rin's eyes clear. He watches them, bright and sparkling, and wishes he could drown in them. She has stopped crying, and that's all he wants.

" Why did you apologize to me?" Rin questions him.

" I wanted to stop you from crying."

Rin's heart skips a beat at his answer. He truly cares for her.

" But you wanted me to leave." Rin's eyes look at him intently and search for the truth. There is still a vestige of pain hidden in her eyes_. But why did you hurt me?_

" I reacted rather harshly that day. Forgive me." Sesshoumaru is surprised at the words that have come from his mouth. He had never submitted to anyone, much less apologize. But he feels calmer, more at peace with himself. But her eyes are still intent.

_Do I have to answer to her?_ He is perplexed, for he has never answered to her before. But a tiny voice begs him to tell her, to soothe her and to feel the scent of her happiness again.

" You are my ward, Rin. It was inappropriate for me to scold the other woman, she belongs to another clan. It would be nothing short of causing scandal in court and hampering diplomatic ties."

Rin's eyes flash with anger. "So, allies are more important than me! You care about being the Inu no Taisho, that's all." Rin's heart throbs in pain. His kiss had softened her, but his words reawakened the humiliation.

" You didn't act out of propriety either. Your behaviour was immature."

" She was insulting you! How could I stand it?"

Sesshoumaru watches her angry eyes softly. " There are better ways to show your emotions, Rin. Yet, I apologize. My act was out of decorum too."

Rin's momentary lapse of reason starts fading away, and she begins to understand. The earnest plea in his voice shocks her, for she has never known him to ask for forgiveness. But today, they both need their forgiveness.

And each other.

" I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru- sama. I'll never leave the palace; I'll always stay with you. Here. Forever."

He is surprised by her words. She promises to stay with him, forever. In his mind, he sees a little girl collecting flowers, running across bright meadows, like the fast rays of sunshine.

_Forever._ A simple word, and yet not. To her, forever means till the day she becomes old, and creases line her face, till the day she breathes her last. To him, forever is a reality, an eternity he has already lived and death is a distant word of an unknown language. Is Forever possible?

Rin wants to hear him promise to let her stay near him. She cannot live without him, and she was trying to leave him. His kiss still resonates in her heart, and occupies her mind. He truly loves her, needs her with him.

_He has forgiven you. _

True, but will he accept her? A simple human girl, who loves him with all her heart. Rin cannot hold back any longer. She must tell him, before it is too late. Before her heart bursts, and her soul tears from this world, leaving nothing but fragments.

" I love you."

* * *

"I love you."

Three words that can change the world, and startle a demon out of his deepest thoughts.

_She loves you._

His heart, ever calm in the battlefield with all his nemeses, now beats fast. He cannot fathom the words she has said. He didn't know if a forever is possible. Now he does.

For years, he has seen happiness mixed with strife. He has seen people live and die. But she is the brightest beacon in his life, and now he knows why he was so distressed when she was in pain.

_You don't want her to leave. You love her._

A shadow passes across the moon, and all is dark in the room, except for the glow in their hearts. He comes closer to her, and envisages their forever. Then he captures her in a sweet, reassuring kiss.

_I love you too._

Rin loses herself in him, exploring his soul through a frantic dance of tongues. It is his acceptance, and she welcomes it. Her heart beats faster with every moment, and she begins to live. They part from the languid kiss, only to touch each other again, with their lips.

This time, when he lets go, he whispers into her ear, " Will you be my mate?"

Rin is too lost in the sensations to answer. A painful parting has turned into a night of insane happiness and ecstasy. When you have lost the war once, the next victory is much sweeter. She doesn't need to say yes. She answers by delving deeper into the kiss.

She enjoys his warmth against her own body, his nose buries itself deep inside her neck, savouring her scent and embedding this moment forever. She accepts him, and he her.

They love each other.

Rin knows the next step, and she wants him in her arms tonight.

" Will you stay here with me, tonight?"

* * *

Sesshoumaru doesn't know what to say. She comes close to him, and he feels her tasting his own skin. Does she want him to claim her, tonight?

" You wish to mate with me?"

He revels in the faint, not-so-innocent blush creeping across her cheeks. He reaches out to her for another united moment. Tonight, he will not let her go from his side.

She answers shyly. " No, Sesshoumaru-sama. I want to er.. mate, after our marriage. Tonight, I just want you to hold me."

Hold her? Sesshoumaru is amused by her words, and yet smiles. Who knows the mind of a woman?

" Take your kimono off."

" What?" She is shocked by the sudden command.

He doesn't answer her. He uses elegant claws to unravel the ties holding the silken garment in place. He looks at her face, a bit nervous and a bit calm at the same time. Then she lays a restraining hand on his.

"Please, Sesshoumaru-sama." He notices her shaking a bit and her full lower lip quivering. He is amazed by her boldness, and pleased with it as well. He knows that she trusts him.

" Please, take the kimono off. I need to feel your scent, and I want to be close to you, and feel your skin." Rin is dumbfounded when he says these words. She has lived with him all these years, but has never seen the tenderness, the desperation that he exhibits now. She has waited for him many years, and now she begins to see another side of the man she loves.

She obliges him, sliding the layers of silk away, yet not parting her gaze from him. She sees him looking at her intently, almost hungrily, waiting for his nose to be drowned by dark and light, musky and floral, heady fragrance that is her own. She sees a slight predatory look in his eyes, which is suddenly replaced by a gentle look.

A warm-candle glow that will light up even on the darkest nights. Only for her.

She softly sits on his lap, as she has done innumerable times in the past, only this time, more gracefully, like a lady. She finds arms enwrap around her, holding her and stilling her.

She is safe in his arms forever. And then he says words that will be imbibed in her memory.

" I love you. I will hold you in my arms forever, till the end of our lives. And not even death can part us."

He hears the quickening of her heart, and gently rumbles, calming her again. For now, they are not two, but one.

* * *

They lie together, him holding her, and her holding him. They don't talk, they don't need to talk. Everything that is unspoken between them is heard. The other can feel every movement of one's heart.

They watch the visage of the moon playing in the garden of stars, running with her nimble feet, till it is time for her to fade and the stars to shine for others, even though they shine for eternity.

Her eyes start drooping, and she shifts into the time before the waning of the human mind. During the moonset, before she slips into the land of Morpheus for a short interval, she whispers to him, "If we ever have children, I want their ears to be like Inuyasha's."

He finds himself chuckling as she falls asleep in his arms, his "Of course, Beloved," going unheard.

Then he looks up into the dawn sky, and even as the hues of sunlight fill the room, a shooting star emblazons a trail of bright dust across the sky.

And he doesn't wish anything on it. Last night, he was an empty being. And seeing her, nestled in the crook of his arms, he realizes that today, he has everything.

Finis


End file.
